News

Professor Caroline Carvill Writes Her Own Story

Monday, January 30, 2017

Caroline Carvill

When American Literature professor Caroline Carvill first came to Rose-Hulman on a nine-month sabbatical, she thought she would be in and out of Terre Haute in less than a year. Twenty-eight years later, she now calls Terre Haute home and continues to inspire the students who have entered her classroom since she first arrived on campus in 1989.

Carvill has not only made a difference in the lives of Rose-Hulman students, but she is also passionate about improving lives throughout the community.

She has been active with United Way of the Wabash Valley for almost as long as she has been at Rose-Hulman. This year, Carvill was named the recipient of the 2016 United Way of Wabash Valley Solomon Award, an accolade that recognizes community leadership and "extraordinary wisdom, responsiveness and flexibility" in distributing funding resources entrusted by donors.

Her most recent community service efforts have focused on improving the quality of childcare in the area. Carvill also serves on the board of directors on the Council of Domestic Abuse (CODA).

"The reason I continue to volunteer for these local organizations is because I can see the impact that it is having," she says.

Carvill credits many reasons for staying at Rose for so long.

"I feel supported here," she says. "Rose-Hulman truly rewards what it says it values. I love teaching non-majors and the fact that I get to collaborate with engineers and scientists everyday. Most importantly though, I love the students."

As a classroom project, Carvill had students volunteer at local non-profit agencies and subsequently write newspaper articles about the agencies. This informed local citizens about the many needs of these organizations. Another project had students constructing a Habitat for Humanity house on campus, then moved several miles to a neighborhood in Terre Haute.

Carvill has received the Dean's Outstanding Teacher Award and the American Society for Engineering Education Liberal Education Division's Sterling Olmsted Award for her contributions to educating engineering students. She has been honored by the Rose-Hulman Alumi Association as an honorary alumnus, and Carvill has served as department head, associate dean of faculty, and faculty representative to the Board of Trustees.